Practice Advice for Cancer

My very dear Juliet,
I am sorry I didn’t get to talk to you but I was very happy to meet you at the retreat. I thought you looked well, better than before. Before you were so thin it was as if you could be blown away over the clouds.

I suggest for your cancer that you should do eight nyung näs. Nyung Näs are an incredibly powerful practice for purification. This purifies many eons of negative karma, and especially develops compassion, which means bodhicitta. Of course, each nyung nä brings us so much closer to enlightenment, and so much closer to enlightening all sentient beings, which is our ultimate goal in life. This also brings you closer to the Guru-compassion Buddha.

One nyung nä purifies 40,000 eons of negative karma. Until you reach the level of the path where you do not have to die, you still have to die, and death can happen at any time, so you must prepare for death right now. Therefore, you need to purify all your past negative karma so that there is no cause left to be born in the lower realms and instead you only have causes to be born in the higher realms. Also, you have to collect as much merit as possible.

As a lay practitioner you can take the five lay precepts and especially the eight Mahayana precepts as much as possible. This creates a lot of merit and is so powerful.

Also, you should recite the long mantra of Chenrezig with the visualization of purifying the four things (negative karma, spirit harm, defilements, and sicknesses). Visualize white purifying nectar coming from Chenrezig, flowing into you, and purifying all negative karmas, spirit harms, defilements, and sicknesses. Also, you can bless water with the long Chenrezig mantra and drink the water. First, recite the mantra for one to two malas and then blow over the water. Visualize that Chenrezig absorbs into the water and by drinking the water it purifies you of the four things.

Also, according to my observations, you should print the Long-life Sutra (Buddha Amitayus) every month, however many you can, making dedications for your health, with a bodhicitta motivation. After it is printed (photocopied on yellow paper) then the sutra can be put inside statues, stupas, tsa-tsa houses, etc.

Printing this sutra is incredibly powerful purification and you collect extensive merit; it helps so much in every way.

I will also make prayers for you.

With much love and prayers...

Dear Loretta,
I checked regarding your health and, according to my divination, you should ask the geshe at your Dharma center to do the following pujas for you:

1. Chab-trü. This involves purification through washing with blessed water. The geshe blesses the vase water and then purifies you.
2. Lu-zong

If you still have the illness after these pujas, then please do Vajrapani, Hayagriva, Garuda practice. Visualize the deity in front of you. Powerful nectar enters you and purifies the four things: negative karma, sickness, spirit harm, and obstacles. Strongly concentrate on this while reciting one mala of the mantra. This completely purifies the karma. Then, recite 21 mantras, visualizing that the beams of nectar purify all sentient beings who have negative karma, sickness, spirit harm, and obstacles. This completely purifies the karma.

Rinpoche’s most recent reply is as follows:

My very dear Loretta,
Thank you very much for your very kind letters. I am very happy to hear your cancer was healed by Hayagriva, Vajrapani, Garuda and other practices.

Now that you realize from this experience how human life is so precious, especially the perfect human rebirth that you have received just this one time, you must use it in the best way, every day, every second, every minute.

The most important way to train the mind is in the Three Principal Aspects of the Path, based on guru devotion. Also, create positive imprints on the mind as much as possible by practicing tantra, receiving teachings, commentaries on deity practices, etc. Do whatever you can do to leave as many imprints as possible. From this you can achieve enlightenment quickly.

The Three Principal Aspects of the Path enable us to free ourselves from the suffering of samsara and to liberate ourselves. Meditate on emptiness to cut the root of samsara, ignorance, and generate bodhicitta in order to achieve enlightenment, so you can enlighten other sentient beings.

It is very good if you can recite the Thirty-five Buddhas of confession with prostrations. If you can’t do the prostrations, at least recite each name as much as you can and recite the rest of the confession prayer. Each name purifies many eons of different negative karmas. Also, practice Vajrasattva and recite as many mantras as you can, more than 21 times is better. When appropriate, take correct Dharma teachings from qualified teachers. That will help to leave positive imprints so you can have realizations.

With much love and prayers,
Lama Zopa

PS. The main thing is to live your daily life with a bodhicitta motivation. Put all your effort into that, in whatever you are doing. This way your life isn’t wasted and becomes full of joy and happiness, with no regrets later, especially when you die. Then, you can die with a smile on your face and a smile in your heart.

My very dear June,
In my observations, it would be very good for you to recite 40 Black Manjushri mantras every day. See if you can try this. Visualize Black Manjushri above your crown. As you recite the mantra, beams are emitted from the mantra and enter you, purifying all your sickness, harm from spirits, negative karma, and defilements. Then, beams are emitted again and you receive all the qualities of enlightened body, speech, and mind. Focus on purification for 20 recitations and then focus on receiving the enlightened qualities for the next 20 recitations.

My observations also showed that it would be most effective for you to practice Medicine Buddha. This practice is extremely powerful for achieving success, for everything. It also helps prevent being reborn in the lower realms.

On the next eighth day of the Tibetan calendar, make 20 long life tsa-tsas and develop eight photos of White Tara. Have them blessed by a geshe on the same day.

You need to liberate 3000 animals. This can be done for you at the houses in Aptos and Washington. They will dedicate the practice to you. If you can cover the cost of buying some of the animals, as many as you can, that would be good. You should make strong dedications of this merit.

You need to take a long life initiation.

I will do Sur practice for you. According to my observations, Sur practice was the most beneficial for you. It involves offering smells to the smell eaters. I do this every night, so I will dedicate it to you.

I am still working on the text of the “Five Powers at the Time of Death” for you, it is nearly finished. I will send it to you as soon as it is done, or even before, so you can start practicing it. According to my observations, this was also the most beneficial practice for you.

Charity
Visualize giving away one’s body, possessions, all one’s merit up to enlightenment, and one’s family. Offer charity in any way, including giving things away mentally. The whole point is to let go of being attached.

Also, offer charity to the Guru, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, as well as to sentient beings. You can also offer this charity mentally. Again, the main point is to let go and not to cling.

Morality
If you have taken bodhisattva vows, then take them again. You can take the tantric vows again by taking your initiation again; that is best, or you can perform self-initiation. Reviving the vows comes within the self-initiation. Even if you don’t actually perform self-initiation, you can still retake the vows to restore them. Retaking the vows helps you to not commit any root downfalls, by helping you to determine to abstain from breaking the vows again. Any root vow that is broken creates the karma of being reborn in the hot hells for one eon, as each second passes, until you retake the tantric vows. You stop that process by retaking them.

You can confess and take samaya vows again—that is how they become pure.

If you have done the deity’s retreat, then you can do a short self-initiation. There is a short version, middle version, and long version. You can do the short version if you are unable to do the other versions. Of course, the most extensive one is the best one to do at the time of death.

The negative karma of the degeneration of the samaya vows creates obstacles to being reborn in a pure land and achieving a higher rebirth, and creates the cause to be reborn in the lower realms. Self-initiation is the best way to revive the vows. Also, you can do other forms of confession.

Patience
Don’t hold grudges against anybody who has harmed you, who has treated you badly, or has hurt you. Just let go and practice patience, because being angry with them doesn’t help you, doesn’t help others, and only makes you be reborn in the lower realms. Now, you have this human body, and in this life you can go to the pure land of the Buddha, or to a higher rebirth. If you get angry or hold grudges, it is very foolish and creates the cause to be reborn in the lower realms. By reflecting on these things, just let go and offer forgiveness to those people who have harmed you.

Perseverance
Continue to practice purification and collecting merit, especially bodhicitta, letting go of the “I” and cherishing others, and tong len—taking and giving. Also, continue with these practices:

• Praying to the Guru.
• Po-wa practice (transference of consciousness), based on bodhicitta.
• Reviving vows, making them pure.
• Practicing purification. If you can do self-initiation or tsog offerings, that is very good for purifying degenerated samaya vows. You can do this based on the Guru Puja or any Guru Yoga practice. Within this, take the tantric vows and perform the tsog offering. This purifies degenerated samayavows and gathers the realizations for a successful rebirth in a pure land or a higher rebirth.

Also, you can practice samayavajra, Vajrasattva, and prostrations to the Thirty-five Buddhas. It is very good if you can actually perform the prostrations, but if you are not able to, hold your hands in the mudra of prostration as you recite the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas.

When you prostrate, visualize hundreds of your bodies prostrating, as tall as mountains. Also, visualize yourself as Chenrezig with 1,000 arms and 1,000 eyes, and then make prostrations to the merit field, reciting the Thirty-five Buddhas’ names.

Also, you can recite the five powerful deity mantras (such as Namgyalma, etc). This causes you never to be reborn in the lower realms.

If you have an altar, then make many offerings on it to Medicine Buddha, thinking he is one with the guru.

Dedicate all the merits.

Concentration
When performing any practice, keep your concentration, awareness, mindfulness, and mind in virtue and in meditation.

Wisdom
Dedicate your practice with emptiness. Regard the subject, action, and object as empty.

Please try to do these practices as much as you can. I will send you the Five Powers when I have finished translating them for you.

With much love and prayers...

My very dear Jenny,
Thank you very much for your kind letter. I am very sorry for the long delay. It is great what you are doing. It seems you are a better practitioner than me.

Performing Medicine Buddha practice for those who are living and those who have died is the best practice for others and yourself, for your wishes to be fulfilled, for ultimate happiness as well as temporary happiness, and all your temporary needs. If you don’t already do this practice every day, then you must do it. Sometimes you can practice the longer version and sometimes the shorter one, depending on how much time you have. I am having the very long version of the Medicine Buddha practice translated, but it is not ready yet. When it is translated, then you can practice that version from time to time.

So, practice Medicine Buddha every day and rely upon Medicine Buddha. This is an essential practice for you. It is such an easy practice, but it fulfills others’ wishes and your own. It is very powerful for purifying negative karma as well as collecting extensive merit. One example of this is that offering to Medicine Buddha collects the same merit as offering to all the buddhas.

After you come home from work it would be excellent if you can recite the King of Prayers and perform Vajrasattva practice. These are both very important practices for you. You might have heard already how important Vajrasattva is. If you haven’t already, you should read my book, Teachings From the Vajrasattva Retreat, at Land of Medicine Buddha. From that you can see the benefits and how important it is.

Even if you don’t get time to do other practices, just practicing Vajrasattva at the end of the day purifies any negative karma created and makes it much lighter, so there will not be as much suffering in your future lives, and less obstacles to realizations. Otherwise, one small negative karma committed today, which is not purified, multiplies. The next day it becomes bigger, more heavy, and by the third day it triples and becomes much heavier, and so on. Then it becomes the size of a mountain, or like the size of the earth. It becomes extremely heavy negative karma. Then, for billions of years one has to be reborn in the lower realms, such as the hell realms, where it is extremely difficult to get out and to receive a higher rebirth. This makes it more difficult for you to receive a human rebirth again, it is more difficult to meet the Dharma, more difficult to practice, and more difficult to have realizations.

While one is in the lower realms one continually creates negative karma because there is no opportunity to practice Dharma, so then you have to suffer even more, and create even more negative karma. Now you can see why it is extremely important to practice Vajrasattva now.

Reciting the King of Prayers is also very important for purification and creating merit, as it contains thousands of bodhisattvas’ prayers.

Also, it is very good to chant OM MANI PADME HUM. You could do this with the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation or with any other prayer. If you recite 10 malas of OM MANI PADME HUM a day, it is said that when you breathe, anybody who is touched by your breath has their negative karma purified and will receive a good rebirth. So, when it is windy, if you face the wind and breathe into it you can bless it. Anyone who is then touched by that wind has all their negative karma purified. If you swim in the water, because your body is blessed by chanting the mantra, it blesses the water and purifies all the beings that live in the water and they receive a higher rebirth. Also, when you touch someone their negative karma is purified.

The goal of our life is to be able to enlighten many sentient beings. Therefore, it is extremely important to develop compassion for all living beings, to take full responsibility to free them from samsaric sufferings and lead them to full enlightenment, and for all beings to enter the Mahayana path to eliminate the gross and subtle defilements and achieve full enlightenment.

If you can’t recite 10 malas a day then do whatever you can, with a minimum of one mala a day, but more is better.

My suggestion regarding your daily practice is for you to practice guru yoga. This is very important. It helps you to actualize the path. I suggest Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga, which has a lamrim prayer (stages of the path to enlightenment). Each time you recite a lamrim prayer it becomes a direct meditation on the path to enlightenment, and plants the seed for the whole path to enlightenment each day. So, each time you recite a lamrim prayer it brings you closer to enlightenment and closer to enlightening all sentient beings. It brings you closer to freeing all sentient beings from samsaric suffering. In this way, you direct your life toward enlightenment every day, as well as enlightening all sentient beings, just by reading a lamrim prayer.

The purpose of your life is to benefit others. The best way that you can benefit others by freeing them from suffering and bringing them to enlightenment is for you to be enlightened. In order to be able to do this quickly you need to practice Tantra. I checked which deity you had a connection with and your deities are Secret Hayagriva and Cittamani Tara—you can choose from these two the deity with whom you feel the strongest connection.

No matter how difficult your life becomes, try to continue doing these practices: Medicine Buddha, Chenrezig (reciting mani mantras), Vajrasattva practice, and King of Prayers, as well as Lama Tsongkhapa Guru Yoga with a lamrim prayer. These are the practices that I suggest for you.

It is very good to look at your health problems, as well as obstacles in your life, as positive. In this way, they become Dharma practice. When you perform service for others with very strong compassion, or when you practice with strong devotion, it purifies past negative karma. One proof that negative karma is purified is that you don’t experience the suffering result in the lower realms, which is very heavy suffering, but instead experience some sickness or obstacle now. Instead of experiencing the suffering in your future lives, you experience it much earlier, in this life, in the form of health problems or an obstacle, such as people criticizing you, headaches, bad dreams, etc. In this way, the negative karma is purified.

So, your having this sickness is proof that you don’t have to experience the heavy suffering of samsara, such as being born in the hell realms, being lost for billions of years or eons in the lower realms. Because of this sickness you don’t have to experience that. So, having these problems in this life and in this form is an incredible blessing. You should feel that it is an incredible success, not suffering at all, just a blessing.

Sometimes, thinking in this way is better, especially if your illness is incurable. In this way, use your health problems and obstacles to develop bodhicitta. Think that this suffering has been given to me, caused by my ego, the self-cherishing thought, as well as other delusions such as anger, attachment, etc. So, one’s own mind created this karma, which becomes negative because of the self-cherishing thought. Negative karma you created in the past, through the self-cherishing thought, has returned, circled back onto you, and now you are experiencing the suffering result.

Instead of taking this on yourself, you return this back to your self-cherishing thought, and use it as a weapon to destroy the ego. Give it to your ego and think that your ego is completely destroyed and eliminated. This is extremely powerful because the self-cherishing thought is the enemy of bodhicitta. The less self-cherishing your thoughts, the more you have bodhicitta, the thought of benefiting others and cherishing others.

The other way to use your sickness to develop bodhicitta is by practicing the meditation called “taking and giving.” With compassion, you perform the meditation of taking numberless sentient beings’ sufferings and the causes of that suffering onto yourself. Visualize that you take all of this onto your ego and self-cherishing thought, and think that they become totally empty and non-existent. Also, you can think that the “I” that appears to exist from its own side, with its own nature, becomes totally non-existent. Try to meditate on that as much as you can. Then, generate loving kindness by performing the practice of giving. Offer your body to others, think that it is a wish-fulfilling jewel; give all your merits of the three times to all sentient beings in each realm, think that their realms become pure lands, they receive all pure enjoyments, whatever they need, whatever they want, and this causes them to eliminate all defilements, and they all become enlightened. Visualize them as the Compassionate Buddha or any other buddha.

Each time that you perform the practice of taking sentient beings’ suffering onto yourself and give all your merits of the three times, up to enlightenment, your body, and wealth to all sentient beings, you collect so much merit. More merit means that you are closer to enlightenment, so this means you are closer to enlightening sentient beings. This practice is a very powerful purification practice that brings you closer to enlightenment. In this way, you use all your problems, experiencing sickness, and so forth to actualize bodhicitta and bring happiness to all living beings.

Regarding falling asleep while practicing, it helps to adopt the seven-point meditation posture. However, it is not necessary to sit in that position when you meditate on the lamrim. You can meditate on the lamrim when you are walking, lying down, or in any position, although it is good to sit in the seven-point posture if you can, as keeping your back straight helps you to not fall asleep. For some meditations, especially Tantra, you do need to sit in that position. Also, if you are having problems with falling asleep when you meditate, then put some cold water on your head, have a cold drink, wear light clothes on the upper part of your body, etc. Sometimes, when you are very tired and don’t have much energy, then you can go out in the garden. You can also meditate when you are relaxing on the beach. Meditation does not only mean that you have to be sitting on your meditation cushion.

Also, you can chant mantras and meditate while you are standing up. If you have many Buddha statues, pictures, texts, tsa-tsas, and holy objects, then you can put them all on a table and circumambulate the table while doing your practice and reciting mantras, such as the Vajrasattva mantra.

Please read the Lamrim Chenmo (Lama Tsongkhapa’s commentary on the stages of the path). Also, please read Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche.

With much love and prayers...